Notes / Commercial Description:
If you're looking for a perfect, no-nonsense hoppy American IPA, this is your jam. It provides you with all the excitement of a real roman candle, but without the risk of accidentally lighting the damn thing while it's still in your pocket. If Roman Candle was a person, it would be the sort that brings home dinner and a movie, and then asks you if you want a massage. If you ask me, I think this is as good as it gets, but you probably weren't gonna ask me, and I do work here, so, take it as you will.

Over the past year this beer has risen to fame and won a much deserved place in the hearts of all us hop-loving folk.

M - Quite bitter the whole way through, and quite dry in the mouth. Good carbonation, medium body. Dryness took away from the hop profile too much.

O/D - Wasn't a huge fan of this one. Bit of a letdown, especially considering the hype. Nothing really stood out in the flavour, and it didn't leave me wanting more half way through the bottle. Got tiresome pretty quick. Not a terrible IPA, but I'd go for something else first if this was on offer again.

Purchased at Bellwoods bottle shop for around the $7.00 mark or so. Served at 6deg C in a tulip

A- Opens with a mighty pop then pours a good white head that is gone within a minute. Clear medium gold color.

S- Good hops here. Dry and wet can be felt. Malty and musty. Almost rotten smelling which is so nice. Enjoyable to the max.

T- Big let down here after smelling it. Has a bland multi hop flavor. Nothing outstanding and nothing to write home about. Just a well blended albeit lackluster beer. Not bad but not great. Score reflects this

M- Ok. Creamy. Nice beer

O- Glad I tried it but not a great beer by any means. Good try at an APA though

Food Pairing

This pretty good beer went well with...... Fried sauerkraut with sausage.

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub. Tasty, pineapple and tropical fruit right there even a tad acidic,but a little funky which we didn’t need. Big mouthfeel, big ibu, dry finish. Cloudy grapefruit colour with a little head and lace.Decent drinkability, but not the most drinkable IPA.

A - medium to deep amber colour. clear with medium carbonation rising after pour. finger and a half of frothy, off white head which is fully lasting. fair lacing left on the glass.

S - hints of passionfruit, tangerine, honey dew melon, grapefruit, papaya, very tropical & hoppy off the pour. a very light sweet bready/biscuity malt is noticeable as the beer calms down a bit. also some herbal hoppyness and some peach become more powerful as the beer warms. doughy/sweet yeast.

T - melon, grapefruit, tangerine and some papaya hit you off the bat, but that is quickly removed and replaced by a very overly powerful piney hop bitterness. not a problem for hop heads, but it definitely takes away from the rest of the beer leaving it a bit boring imo. there is definitely a taste of italian herbs in there as it warmed up, and a bit of a biscuity/light toffee and pale malt taste. slightly sweet off the top and finishes with a piney bitterness,

M - medium body to it with a slightly sticky/oily feel that coats the mouth. soft to medium carbonation. light to moderately astringent on the finish. average length finish/

O - a good ipa, although not my favourite. it was quite a trek from my house to the brewery so i'd say based on that, i'll skip this one next time and go for something else. i love ipa's, and this is definitely drinkable, but didn't blow me away enough for me to want another too quickly.

Bottle: Poured a light hazy amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrus hoppy notes with some floral and fruity hops notes also distinguishable. Taste is also dominated by tropical fruit hops with some citrus and floral hoppy notes and limited bitterness. Body is full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very good interpretation of the style with limited bitterness.

From a 500 ml bottle purchased at the brewery's bottle shop into a shaker, pours a beautiful dark golden honey with a faint tint of orange, a really nice nose, both strong but mellow, some gentle pine, grapefruit pith and some mellower fruitiness -- almost overripe passion fruit and cantaloupe.

A clear brown amber. Half inch fine white head that lasted right to the bottom of the glass. Some carbonation and thick lacing.

Lots of citrus - grapefruit and lemon. Quite sharp. Bit of floral aroma under the citrus.

Less citrusy than the aroma. Strong bitter floral taste like biting into a chrysanthemum. The citrus and pine is there but the taste is more herby hops - thyme and oregano. There is a nice toffee malty backbone. Long, solid bitter aftertaste.

Medium dry feel. Low carbonation.

This is an very enjoyable American IPA. For me it lives up to its rep. A very fine handling of hops.

A-Yellow color with a white head
S-Dank hop dominated, onion?
M-Carbonation is Medium high, mouthfeel lends a medium body
T-Bitter dominant with a very subtle sweet smoothness. There is also a pine flavour from the hops
O-Although I want to enjoy this beer more, it is heavily on the dank side of the hop world. I do recommend it, but do not misjudge for a citrus or fruity based IPA

A dark gold liquid, lots of sediment everywhere being moved around by a few bubbles here and there, looks thick and well and truly unfiltered, thumbs width of foam hang around for a few sips leaving some random patches

S honeydew, cantaloupe, papaya, over ripe mango, sweet orange creamsicle, soft caramel, faint pine, such a familiar hop profile but I just can't place it, dank and a little catty, citra and simcoe?

T citrus rind and melons, not far from the nose though but a little toned down

M silky entry, has weight and enough carbonation to give it some life, not over the top bitter but, just a little sticky on the lips piney finish

O something different but oh so familiar, well rounded and my bottles pretty much gone at this point typing so that says something

Solid IPA ad something I'd drink on a regular basis if I could get it in my area, more melon then citrus makes this one stand out in the crowded world of IPA's

Apricot yellow body and opaque. Minimal head when pouring, only about 2 fingers with good retention and swiss cheese make up in the bubbles. Settles flat and nice after awhile and some excellent lace. Nice looker.

Aroma is great juicy hop aromatics. Thick and rich velvet like hop oils on the nose. Earth and dank softness with minimal sweetness from the malt. Some faint hints of tangerine orange really squeak in to make it even more interesting and varied. Great aroma on this brew.

Taste is a very clean palate. Slightly fruity mid palate flavors, but a bit indistinct than the nose sort of hints at, somewhere between citrus and herbal tea. Dry grain finish, but stays away from flour and powdery mouthfeel and flavors luckily. Mouthfeel is fairly basic, but solid with no faults.

A very good solid IPA with some characteristics that are quite exceptional.

Thanks to a buddy for picking up a bottle of this for me. Pours a golden orange colour, fairly clear with good head. Smells very hoppy, quite nice. Tastes of citrus hops, grapefruit and pine coming through in the smooth finish. Very easy to drink and its a quite refreshing beer. Another top quality beer from this kick ass brewery.

Pours a pale, slightly cloudy bronze color with a rocky, pillowy head that lasts the entire pint. Lots of lace patches and trails coat the glass on the way down. The aroma is full of lemon and orange hops mingled with a bready maltiness balancing things out. Loads of fresh citrus fruit fill the first sip - the flesh of the fruit, very fresh. A little bit of pine mixes with herbal notes in the back. A ballast of cookie dough malts lays in the back and never takes center stage. The mouthfeel is light bodied with a light carbonation. The finish is quite bitter with a lot of lingering fruity, juicy hop aroma.

This is a great IPA. Lots of fresh, interesting hop aroma and very good balance. Not the hoppiest of the style, but complex and hoppy enough to satisfy an ardent hophead, while balanced enough to recruit new fans to the style. A must try.

Slightly hazy golden orange colour, collar of white head, some lace as well but quite minimal. Smell is loaded with tropical fruit, citrus, grapefruit and orange, pineapple and a touch of malt there as well, really nice nose on this. Taste follows the nose however is a bit of a let down in comparison, citrus and tropical fruit, big dry hop bitterness, orange, grapefruit, lightly sweet malt mid palate followed by more dry hop flavour in the finish, fruity-tropical aftertaste. Light-medium carbonation, oily dry feel. Solid IPA from these guys, just delicious and something I would welcome anytime.

O:
Really tasty beer.
Pours a nice hazed brass with a decent head. It is fruitier smelling than the other couple beers I've had from them. Moldy peach in a pine forest, hollowed out to use as a pipe. On this, my last Bellwoods beer, I find myself reflecting on their beers. I am jealous that Ontarians get access to these beers. I like to think that I would keep these in my fridge regularly. Then I realize that they only sell from their brewery (as far as I know) and I get a little less jealous. Fruity, somewhat floral/piney IPA, really drinkable, quite fruity. Tasty, well-made beer. Would definitely have this one again. (4.25)

Picked up a couple of these from the brewery this past summer. My first boy's name is Roman, so this beer has to be awesome.

From a 500ml bottle into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Pours a small, medium looking, white head with good retention. Perfectly clear burnt orange in color with medium levels of carbonation. Head fades to a faint wisp and ring. A splotchy wisp remains until the end leaving dots of lacing down the glass.

TASTE: Pale malts and some caramel notes up front, with lots of sweet melon and bitter grapefruit at the swallow. Bold and lingering, bitter finish of citrus and grapefruit, with a good amount of melon sweetness as balance. Bold, flavorful and plenty fruity as well. Enjoyable for sure.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly mouth coating. Some nice bitterness lingers. Good here as well.

OVERALL: I was going to make a homebrew to celebrate my boy, but this will definitely do. Really nice stuff for sure! Perhaps a little one dimensional, but what was there was pungent, well balanced and plenty enjoyable. Really nice feel to support it all as well. An excellent IPA that I'm proud to have share my son's name. Cheers guys! I feel a collaboration coming on soon. Recommended.

Roman Candle is indeed fairly bright; a clear and lustrous golden that is about as light an IPA as you'll find (obviously dark and specialty malts were exempted from this one). While clarity and the consistent bubbling are appreciated, the lack of head retention is disheartening.

The aroma is like stepping foot into a French kitchen: white onion, white onion, fresh herbs, and more white onion. There are elements of tropical citrus but pungency wins out. There's virtually no malt to detected and so the smell of hops - every and any form they take - is paramount.

The taste is like biting right into a melon. Fleshy and pithy, you get a mouthful of both the sweet fruit and the bitter, astringent rind. It's flavour is an even combination of honeydew and cantaloupe and topped with some dank weedy herbs and a grate of lemon zest.

I sincerely feel I have no biases when it comes to beer styles, but a true IPA - one brewed properly, which is to say with the right ingredients and the appropriate amount of hoppiness - seems in my books to always win, always get the girl, be forever invincible, etc etc. Roman Candle is one such superhero - a marvelous and sensational beer.

Apears a caramel gold and a light lacing. A very piney palate with a good bit of dryness. Smell is full of piney American hops, resin and honey. Taste is silky caramel malt, light smooth carbonation with a lot of hops. Full flavour but really crisp and refreshing, outstanding IPA. Delicious.

Had from bottle (28/08/14) - Aroma has a lovely pine spiciness, some lemony zip as well. Taste is a biscuity pine, medium tangerine and grapefruit citrus, smooth balanced sweet malt, rolling pleasing bitterness. Taste undergoes a number of transitions, sweet citrus and loads of pine getting a bit more honey-ied and floral and then a lovely balanced hoppy finish. Very nice IPA and very easy to drink.